On Stephen Tobolowsky's podcast, he talked about working with her one time, and if I remember correctly, he said that when they were doing some promo shots ahead of time, she seemed like a wide-eyed small town girl just getting her first taste of the bright lights. But then when they actually started doing the acting, she was unbelievably awesome and focused and intense. Like she had just been lulling him into a false sense of security before the game started. He loved it. :)

That about covers it. The second half was boring rom com drama. The first half actually had some fun and chemistry. It was never super witty but it elicited a few chuckles and that was enough for me. Plus, seeing a zombie say "Bitches, man" made me laugh more than it should have.

Safety Not Guaranteed - This was a simple, fun, and quirky movie that I hadn't even heard of a week ago. I saw a preview for it in front of 21 Jump Street, and I instantly put in in my queue. I'm glad I did. The movie starts off with a pretty bizarre premise, and never really gives up on it, which was kind of unexpected. Sure, it still fell into some more typical rom-com trappings, but it never FELT like a rom-com. That's a good thing. I had never heard of Aubrey Plaza before, but find her to have an interesting aura about her. She's not all that great of an actress(not bad, just not great), but she demands your attention. Doesn't hurt that she's totally hot, either.Actually, acting wise, I didn't find anyone in particular to be that amazing. It felt very "indie" in that regard. Like these were interns with their first big break. For some reason though, this only seems to add to the charm of the movie. I did find one of the "side" stories here completely unnecessary. Especially considering how it's resolved. I also found the ending a bit odd. Not bad, just not what I was expecting out of this quiet little movie. Overall, this was a nice little surprise. I love discovering small gems like this. Gives me a dash of hope for the future of film making.

^^ The movie was weird, and I found in the end, it wasn't terribly memorable. It was quiet, and a lot I felt almost unnecessary (I didn't really get the B plot with her editor and Arnau -- I was working on a project, so maybe I might have missed the bigger movie behind their pot and the film's overall theme and meaning, so....maybe it's my bad). Aubrey is an interesting actress, a good aura like you said, somewhat naturally melancholic too almost (or at the very least, typecasted as such between Scott Pilgrim, Parks and Rec, and Funny People).

I don't know if I was reading it wrong and since they don't really answer it, do you think the reason Kristen Bell was alive and well was because Kenneth was able to save her?? I read it that way, the movie tries to make him look whacky, but I did think that he had saved her but chose to stay with Darius instead.

^^ The movie was weird, and I found in the end, it wasn't terribly memorable. It was quiet, and a lot I felt almost unnecessary (I didn't really get the B plot with her editor and Arnau -- I was working on a project, so maybe I might have missed the bigger movie behind their pot and the film's overall theme and meaning, so....maybe it's my bad). Aubrey is an interesting actress, a good aura like you said, somewhat naturally melancholic too almost (or at the very least, typecasted as such between Scott Pilgrim, Parks and Rec, and Funny People).

I don't know if I was reading it wrong and since they don't really answer it, do you think the reason Kristen Bell was alive and well was because Kenneth was able to save her?? I read it that way, the movie tries to make him look whacky, but I did think that he had saved her but chose to stay with Darius instead.

Aubrey was new to me because I didn't remember her from Scott Pilgrim and I haven't seen those shows. I didn't know she had a schtick, but it comes across as normal for her.

Troll Hunter - Just when you think found footage movies have gotten beyond stale, a movie like Troll Hunter comes along to remind you how fun they can be. I loved this movie. I loved the the slow build. I loved Hans, who keeps his cool the whole damn time, even under insane circumstances. I loved the scary moments, which are better in this non-horror movie than most horror movies I've seen the past few years. We knew next to nothing about our students, which makes them not that great of characters, but I was perfectly ok with that. The title makes it obvious what we are in for, but the reveal is still awesome all the same. It IS a little unbelievable that these people would repeatedly put themselves into dangerous situations just for the sake of a story. Or perhaps simple curiosity. The "Are you a Christian?" business was funny because it made absolutely no sense at ALL. The fact that every plays it straight makes it even better. I just love monster movies, so I may have liked this more than I should have. Your mileage may vary. But I still think it's a great movie that almost anyone could enjoy. Yes, even with the constant shaky cam. Trolls!